JW Blue Label is $200 for a 750ml bottle. Might be a bit cheaper at wholesale, if you find it...
The Rarest Blend
Johnnie Walker® Blue Label ™ is our rarest blend. This isn't a whisky for beginners. It's challenging and an acquired taste, but like the finest rewards in life is worth it.
Created from the rarest and most expensive whiskies in the world, Blue Label™ has the authentic character and flavour of a traditional nineteenth century blend, just like those that John Walker and his son Alexander developed for their most valued customers.
Blue Label™ is made from a few exceptional whiskies with powerful flavours. Each bottle is precious to us and is individually numbered. Each contains a rare taste and gives an intense experience.
The Rarest Blend
Blue Label™ is the ultimate
luxury Scotch Whisky and supplies of Blue Label™ are
limited by the rarity and expense
of the whiskies used in the blend.
At the heart of Blue Label™ is
Royal Lochnagar™a rare malt
distilled near Balmoral, the
Queen's holiday home. Around
15 other mature and precious
whiskies are added to balance
Blue Label™ perfectly - 'a blend
that cannot be beat' (Alexander
Walker, 1888).
The Serve
An excellent and simple way to appreciate Blue Label™ Scotch Whisky is to drink it neat from a brandy glass, or similar, with a separate glass of iced mineral water. Drinking the iced water first refreshes the mouth and allows a small amount of water to combine with the whisky on the palette. The rare whiskies in Blue Label™ are best appreciated at full strength.
Tasting Notes Here are the Master Blender's notes to guide you through the experience.
Nose: Harmonious and perfectly balanced; hints of smokiness and a real depth of sherry character, with hints of raisins and toasted nuts.
Palate: Hugely flavourful with a rich peatiness, deep smoke and traces of spice. Develops into intense flavours of oak, dark-chocolate and rich home-made Dundee cake. Characteristics from the Cardhu distillery, Benrinnes™ and other Speyside malts combine to provide the rich sherry and oak flavours. Royal Lochnagar™ from the tiny Highland distillery gives a rich sweetness with hints of freshness. Mature grains give an oak and vanilla character, while Caol Ila™ brings the deep, pungent spice and smoke.
Finish: Well balanced, long and intense, with hints of smoke, Islay seaweed and vintage oaks.
Read the Master Blender's thoughts as he discusses the world's rarest whisky.
Master Blender's Notes
Here, Jim Beveridge talks us through some of the things he thinks about when he seeks out rare malts and grain whiskies for the Johnnie Walker® Blue Label™ blend.
"The whiskies I use are from exceptional casks drawn individually from reserves of over seven million. The smoothness of the Blue Label™ blend can only be achieved by using very aged whiskies - sometimes these are up to 60 years old. Whiskies that have had years to mellow and take on the flavours of the casks they are kept in. I don't look for exclusively old whiskies though. The vibrant flavours in Johnnie Walker® Blue Label™ can actually only be achieved by using younger whiskies alongside the older ones. Whiskies that still retain much of the character of the distilleries that made them.
"I'm looking for particular flavours and properties from exceptional casks. These distinctive casks, which could be one or two in a couple of million, are usually spotted soon after they are distilled. They are then set aside for Johnnie Walker® Blue Label™ and matured until they are at their absolute peak, however long that may be. Some of the distilleries that produced these casks no longer exist, making the whiskies literally irreplaceable. Millburn Distillery and Port Ellen Distillery are two such examples and their supply of whisky has dwindled dramatically since closure."
"As well as whisky from distilleries that have closed, rare whisky also comes from small distilleries that, due to the size of their stills, can only produce a limited amount of stock. Royal Lochnagar is an example of a tiny distillery producing precious malt in small quantities. Even though the malt it produces is much sought after, we could never increase production as it would irrevocably change the character of the Royal Lochnagar™ malt."
"Within many of our distilleries production often leads to interesting distinctive flavours that goes beyond the already excellent whisky that the distillery is producing. This is a quirk of nature or a 'gift' as I like to call it. It means that sometimes, due to a combination of natural factors beyond our control, a distillery will produce a unique batch of an amazingly different whisky. These occurrences are very rare and you can't predict or control them.
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